Is Chicken Broth Powder Acidic or Alkaline?
Chicken broth, powder (dried) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Chicken broth powder consists mainly of salt, starch, fat, yeast extract and dried vegetables. The chicken itself is usually present only in small amounts, so potassium wins out: −5.5 per 100 g. The salt doesn't count in the PRAL. Very little of this reaches the finished soup. What matters there are the add-ins and the vegetables.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, chicken broth powder (dried) ranks #34 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Thyme (−5.8), Rosemary (−6.2), Ketchup (−6.5). More acid-forming are Mint (−4.3), Chives (−4.3), Barbecue sauce (−4.0).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chicken broth powder acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Chicken broth, powder (dried) has a PRAL of −5.5 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much chicken broth powder do I need for a noticeable effect?
A teaspoon (5 g) of chicken broth powder adds −0.3 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of chicken broth powder roughly offsets one of them.
Why is chicken broth powder alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Chicken broth, powder provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−5.5).
Chicken Broth, Powder logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.